130821 Letter to SG Re New Allegations of CW v8

7/30/2019 130821 Letter to SG Re New Allegations of CW v8

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From the Permanent Missions of: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Croatia,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,

Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

21 August 2013

HE Mr Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General

United Nations

Syria: Chemical Weapons

We would like to bring to your attention credible reports of the use of chemical weapons on 21

August 2013 in Rif Damascus.

Given the gravity of these reports, we judge it essential that all the pertinent facts are swiftly

investigated.

We therefore request that you launch an urgent investigation into these allegations as

expeditiously as possible under the auspices of the Secretary Generals Mechanism for the

Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons, as derived from the mandate

established by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/42/37C of 30

November 1987, and report back to Member States as soon as possible.

We are aware that the UN Mission is now in Damascus. We urge you to do all you can toensure that the Mission has urgent access to all relevant sites and sources of information.

To assist the investigation, we submit a selection of open source information (Annex A).

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration.

Gary Quinlan, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United

Nations

Andreas Riecken, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent

Mission of Austria to the United Nations

Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, Permanent Representative,Permanent Mission of the Kingdom ofBahrain to the United Nations

Bndicte Frankinet, Permanent Representative,Permanent Mission of Belgium to the UnitedNations


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Guillermo Rishchynski, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Canada to theUnited Nations

Vladimir Drobnjak, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatiato the United Nations

Christina Rafti, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Missionof the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations

David Cervenka, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Missionof the Czech Republic to the United Nations

Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations

Margus Kolga, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations

Nina Nordstrm,Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations

Alexis Lamek,Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission ofFrance to the United Nations

Christophe Eick, Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations

Dimitris Caramitsos Tziras, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative,Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations

Tim Mawe, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission ofIreland to the United Nations, New York

Antonio Bernardini, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent

Mission of Italy to the United Nations

Tsuneo Nishida, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Japan to the UnitedNations

Mansour AlOtaibi, Permanent Representative,Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to theUnited Nations

Inese Freimane-Deksne,Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, PermanentMission of Latvia to the United Nations

Ibrahim Dabbashi, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Libya to the United

Nations

Rita Kazragien, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Missionof the Republic of Lithuania to the United Nations

Olivier Maes, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission ofLuxembourg to the United Nations


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Milo Nikoli,Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the United Nations

Tine Mrch Smith, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, PermanentMission of Norway to the United Nations

Karel J.G. Van Oosterom, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of

the Netherlands to the United Nations

Cristina Maria Cerqueira Pucarinho, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy PermanentRepresentative, Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations

ukasz Zieliski, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Missionof Poland to the United Nations in New York

Yousef Sultan Laram, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, PermanentMission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations

Abdallah Yahya A. Al-Mouallimi, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Saudi

Arabia to the United Nations

Frantiek Ruika, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Slovak Republic tothe United Nations

Fernando Fernndez-Arias Minuesa, Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Spain tothe United Nations

Gunnar Aldn,Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations

Thomas Guerber, Charg daffaires a.i., Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UnitedNations

Halit evik,Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations

Ahmed Al-Jarman, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the United ArabEmirates to the United Nations

Philip Parham, Charg daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Missionof the United Kingdom to the United Nations

Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Charge daffaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, United States

Mission to the United Nations


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Annex A

Open source reporting

Rif Damascus 21 August

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/syria-poisonous-gas-attack-claim- Syrian activistsclaim hundreds killed in poisonous gas attack

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-

hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.html- Syria crisis: Activists accuse government as

hundreds die in 'chemical weapons attack'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-

deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.html- Syria denies reports of deadly Damascus nerve gas attack

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23777201- Syria conflict: 'Chemical attacks' near

Damascus

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/21/c_132650833.htm- Activists accuse Syrian

forces of using "poisonous gases" in Damascus countryside

YouTube videos:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0fRTMheTT8A
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/syria-poisonous-gas-attack-claimhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/syria-poisonous-gas-attack-claimhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23777201http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23777201http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/21/c_132650833.htmhttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/21/c_132650833.htmhttps://www.youtube.com/embed/0fRTMheTT8Ahttps://www.youtube.com/embed/0fRTMheTT8Ahttps://www.youtube.com/embed/0fRTMheTT8Ahttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/21/c_132650833.htmhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23777201http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10256236/Syria-denies-reports-of-deadly-Damascus-nerve-gas-attack.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.htmlhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-activists-accuse-government-as-hundreds-die-in-chemical-weapons-attack-8777527.htmlhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/21/syria-poisonous-gas-attack-claim

130821 Letter to SG Re New Allegations of CW v8

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